Family values are considered by President Sheikh Mohamed as a "vital pillar" of the UAE's future – but what does this mean in practice?
With 2026 designated the Year of Family, The National has spoken to three graduates of the National Experts Programme to assess how they balance the pressures of modern working life with maintaining core family values.
The scheme, launched in 2019, was set up to prepare experienced Emirati professionals to become trusted sector experts aligned with the UAE’s national priorities.
For Talal Faris, a graduate of the programme, one of the most pressing challenges is time. “We know there are challenges around the time spent with family, we know that this is a challenge,” he told The National.
Mr Faris, who works at the Department of Community Development, also highlighted the impact of technology.
“We know that there are issues around the technology aspect of things – how kids are using it – so the dynamics naturally are being affected by all these new things that are coming into our society, into our community and into everybody’s day-to-day life.”
What is the Year of Family?
The UAE is facing the challenges posed by a declining birth rate and an ageing population, which could leave fewer citizens of working age to help drive the economy forward.
The Emirati birth rate declined by about 11 per cent between 2015 and 2022, government figures show. Like elsewhere in the Arab world, the average age of citizens is rising, with the number of Emiratis 60 and older expected to increase from about 165,000 to two million by 2050. It is a trend of concern that has drawn a national response.
To promote awareness and celebrate family values, the government will launch initiatives and partnerships with citizens, residents and private companies.
The Year of Family aligns with the National Family Growth Agenda 2031, a clear vision for the Emirati family to be the centre of development, social balance and sustainability.
Finding work-life balance
Still, Mr Faris said these pressures do not mean the family structure is weakening. He highlighted work-life balance as one area where progress can be made and said technology does not mean families have to spend time apart.
“There are tools and things families can do together that really take away this need to always be engaged in technology,” he said. “Family is the bedrock of any society. It grounds all of us. It is what drives people’s motivation to improve their lives, to make their families stronger, better and more connected.”
That sense of family as a pillar of national well-being is echoed by Asma Al Azri, executive director of the Family Cases Sector at the Family Care Authority. “The Year of Family is a reaffirmation of the importance of families – and resilient families – in the UAE,” she said.
Families are the most important pillar of the development of any society, Ms Al Azri said, while making it clear that challenges are often complex and deeply personal.
What can the Year of Family achieve?
“What we want to see is less family conflict, stronger marital relationships and more resilient children,” Ms Al Azri said.
By the end of the year, she hopes the focus will translate into tangible results, with "stronger families, a more cohesive community and better welfare outcomes across the country".
From a cultural and narrative standpoint, media expert Marwah Fadhel said: “The Year of Family touches the heart. In Emirati and Arab culture, family is at the core of everything we do – our decisions, our way of life. Today we live in a modern world with a lot of uncertainty and difficulties, which changes how we perceive life and the outer world.”
The pace of life is also a significant factor, she said, with people today having to make a lot of life decisions in parallel. Ms Fadel said the Year of Family campaign will provide support for people to make the right choices in these moments.
“The feeling of uncertainty might cause some individuals to delay the idea of marriage but there will never be a perfect moment, whether it’s marriage, starting a business or studying.
“A lot of people might lack the courage or the push to make this decision, and this is where the Year of Family comes into practice and gives them this support.”
Her own upbringing reflects the values she believes are worth preserving, having grown up in a humble home where extended family members were always present.
“You don’t learn only from your parents, but from everyone around you," she said. "It really does take a village.”
What has been done?
The Parent-Friendly Label programme was launched by the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) and was extended across the Emirates in 2022 in a drive to bolster the family unit and improve work-life balance.
Businesses enrolled receive either a parent-friendly label or parent-friendly plus label for meeting criteria such as flexible policies for working hours and maternity leave of at least 90 days.
A parent-friendly label report released in November – which polled more than 11,000 employees at participating companies – said the policy was reaping rewards.
It found:
- 82 per cent of working mothers encouraged by their organisation to fully utilise maternity leave
- 77 per cent of employees would recommend their organisation as a parent-friendly workplace
- 74 per cent of fathers said they received tangible support from managers to fully utilise paternity leave
- 71 per cent reported parent-friendly policies helped to improve daily productivity
- 68 per cent indicated workplace support contributed to them staying in their job for at least another two years
- 66 per cent were satisfied with number of maternity days offered
- 65 per cent of mothers said returning to work was smoother thanks to flexible arrangements, nursing breaks and reintegration programmes.
